Amid reports that free agent right-hander James Shields has "several offers in hand" from multiple teams the Chicago Cubs may be one of those teams in the fray.
The Cubs are "kicking the tires" on Shields, whose price may be coming down from earlier this offseason from the rumored asking price of five years, $110 million. Now, some believe the contract Shields will sign will be in the neighborhood of four years and $70 to $80 million.
Shields has been a consistent top-of-the-rotation arm for the majority of his career, racking up eight consecutive seasons of 200-plus innings, and four straight years of sub-3.52 ERAs. Last season Shields went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
If Chicago were to make a move, he'd slot in as their No. 2 starter behind new ace left-hander Jon Lester. Last season Lester pitched for the Red Sox and Athletics, combining to go 16-11 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.
Throughout the offseason a number of teams have reportedly shown interest in signing Shields. The newest whispers involved the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, although conflicting reports have emerged saying the Yanks are out of the running.
Shields' preferred destination is reportedly San Diego. He has a home there, prefers to pitch on the West Coast, and it doesn't hurt that their new general manager A.J. Preller has aggressively remade the roster to set them up for playoff contention in 2015.
Kansas City, where Shields has pitched for the past two seasons, remains in play as do the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks. In both Kansas City and Arizona Shields would be the clear ace of the staff, while in Miami he would be the de facto No. 1 starter until Jose Fernandez returns from rehabbing Tommy John surgery.
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